Jury indicts West Linn dentist in crash that injured three

A Clackamas County grand jury today indicted a West Linn dentist on charges of assault, reckless endangerment and driving under the influence in hitting and critically injuring a family of three in August.

Thomas Lant Haymore, 35, stood quietly as Clackamas County Circuit Judge Thomas J. Rastetter read the counts of the indictment. Rastetter then raised his bail to $250,000, and Haymore was quickly handcuffed and escorted away.

Haymore's attorney, Stephen A. Houze, said he expected his client to post bail and return immediately to an Atlanta drug treatment center. Haymore's trial is scheduled for Dec. 11.

It was mid-August when Haymore -- in what he told police was a fog of Ambien, Prozac and Demerol -- sped backward in his Dodge minivan, crashed through bushes and down a slope, then hit a family of three walking along the sidewalk, according to authorities.

John B. Herbert and his wife, Tracy, both 37, were critically injured, and their 5-year-old son, John G., was injured and badly traumatized. They are still recovering from their injuries and could not be reached for comment.

"The entire (Haymore) family feels terribly about this," Houze said. He added that the dentist is devoted to recovering from drug problems.

But Clackamas County Deputy District Attorney Brian Brock said the jury was right to indict. In driving while so intoxicated, "the defendant showed extreme indifference to the value of human life," he said.

The indictment Friday included a charge of second-degree assault for injuries to John Herbert and a charge of third-degree assault for injuries to Tracy Herbert. The danger Haymore put the 5-year-old child in drew a charge of reckless endangerment.